Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-12-24

dow. In Anoxvtue we had urged that all
should be tried together, Or that the sen.
rence Of one should stand for all. There
wa no reason for giving any preference to
one over another, and M indication that
such preference was to be given. But
even If we had not believed that only q
few days or hours Of prison life lay be.
tween Us and the scaffold, the parting
from our loved friends, whose voices were
yet lingering in our ears while they them
selves had passed beyond the gates of
death, was enough to break the stoutest
heart. There were tears then in eyes that
would not have quivered in the presence
Of any danger.
But I could not shed q tear. A cloud Of
burning heat rushed to my head, and
fever seemed to scorch through every
vein. For hours I scarcely could realize
where was or the loss that had been suf-
fered. Every glance around the room,
revealing the vacant places Of friends,
would bring our sorrow freshly upon us
again. Grief for u comrades and appre.
hension for ourselves We're inscparably
blended. The suddenness Of the shock by
which we were separated seemed to reveal
q spirit that forbade us to hope. while 1t
was d terrible ~aggravation of the pain Of
parting. Thus the afternoon hours slowly
drifted by under q shadow too dark for
words. No one ventured as yet to speak
Of hope.
The first distraction in this terrible hour
we owed to our friendly jailer. He asked
us if we would like to be all put in one
room.
We were eager for this privilege, and he
brought over the eight who We're in the
front room and placed them with us. We
! NOVA now fCf1rfaon spcl,l;p~ H,,% 1o.,,
Of East Tennessee fame, who was placed
with US. There would nave been much
to talk about in our separate experiences
in Knoxville and Chattanooga at any
other time, but now the thought OF the
lost swallowed up everything else.
AT length some voice suggested-rather
family at first, for only a few hours be-
fore it would have met keen ridicule-
that it would be well for us to pray. The
thought was warmly welcomed. Not the
slightest objection was offered by any one,
and we at once all knelt. One member
OF the party has lately told me that while
he knelt with the rest, and was careful to
say nothing to discourage us, yet he never
led in prayer, or said anything to Indicate
that he had changed his life purpose. I
did not notice the exception ut the time,
rs every head was bowed and every face
covered. Capt. Fry was first requested
to lead us, which was peculiarly appro-
pirate, as he had always maintained a
consistent religious life, and now seemed
to feel Il great sorrow rs if it were his
own. He prayed with deep earncstness,
strong sobs mingling with his fervcnt pc
titiOns. Then others led, and we con-
tinucd until all but the one already al
ludcd to had prayed in turn: then those
Nr1n hnl proyvnl bnfN~n ,r,. n,,:.
There seemed to he some help in simply
telling our trouble. On my own part, L
do not think that there was n great deal
Of faith, at least so far us temporal deliv-
GRANGE was concerned, but there came q
Guinness and II passing away Of bitter.
hess that was reStful to our tired hearts.
We besought God mainly that lie would
prepare us for the fate that seemed
Inevitable. and that as he had led
us into great trials, he would in some
manner sustain us there. We kept Oh
praying with but short intervals till the
sun went down. AS twilight decpened
into durknesS-the emblem of Our own
lives-so our petitions grew more solemn.
Got seemed nearer than ever before. In
the darkness it appeared easier to behold
the heavenly light. We began to ask for
dciivcrance in this world as well rs in the
hour of death, and to have n hope, very
faint and trembling, that it might be grant
cd. Then little by little we began to profess
our purpose to live religious lives while
we We're spared, whether the time was
long or short. l do not know that there
was anything clear II definite in the
Way of conversion or sudden change on
the part of any; but when il is remenn-
bcrcd that in the forenoon we had amused
ourselves by all kind of games, that pro-
fame words II jests were not uncommon,
and that we would have been ashamed to
speak of prayer Or of religion in any way
except as Il mere theory, it will be seen
that there was no slight alteration in us
already. From that hour / date the birth
of an immortal hope and a new purpose
in life. And In this experience ! am not
solitary.
1t is an interesting fact, which the ra-
t%lonalist may explain as he will, that from
the time Of hat long prison prayer meet.
in2-from early afternoon to midnight
the fortunes Of our party began to i'm
prove. There were fearful trials still be-
fore us, not much inferior to any that we
had passed; we long held Il lives by the
frailest thread; yet til the close Of the
war, though many persisted around us,
"NtI' NTi uiIoiNtl NItLlIl lIOul
our midst. We committed ourselves to
the Lord, not expecting dcliveruncc in
this world; and in his boundless mercy
he bestowed upon us all we asked, and far
more han we had dared TO hope.
Few things in our whole prison expert
ence were more fearful than awakening
the next morning. The chill light of u
new day-the dispelling OF dreams that
may have been very pleasant, and have
brought home wildly before us-always
made the morning hour the most dreary
of the day. But on this occasion we
looked around and saw the places of our
friends vacant, and all the great sorrow
of u bereavement again rolled over us
like the incoming Of the sea.
But we wished to do something. A
small Bible was borrowed from Mr.. Tur-
ner when he came to bring our scunty
breakfast-Mr. Thocr, who was always
with him to see that he gave us no undue
indulgence, did not obicct-and then we
had reading, singing and prayer-ncarly
every one praying, so that it might rather
be called n morning prayer meeting than
"family worship though the latter was
the title used. We now resolved to con-
tinue this practice as long as our prison
life lasted.
From this time forward we had relig-
iOus exercises morning and evening, and
found them a great consolation and sup
port. They began and closed the day
Alright, and thus added sweetness to all its
hours, supplying n subject or thought not
bearing directly upon our own gloomy
prospects, and thus enabling us TO main
tain better mental health. We always
sung a hymn sr WI OF these occasions.
Indeed there IVES nearly as much singing
/ % Mt ChntfnrdAu.n LIT &c n fnn 4; 4E.nnnf